South Sudan's English Daily Newspaper
"We Dare where others fear"
By Simon Deng
The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization has held a two-day workshop on cattle migration in a bid to resolve the longstanding conflict between cattle herders and farmers across the Equatoria region.
Pitia Moses, the program officer for the Community Empowerment for Progress Organization, urged the Central Equatoria and Jonglei state governments to implement the 2017 presidential decree evicting cattle from Equatoria.
“The Community Empowerment for Progress Organization asks the governments of Jonglei and Central Equatoria states to promote peaceful coexistence between cattle keepers and farmers,” Moses said at the Imperial Hotel during the opening of the two-day workshop on cattle migration.
“We also ask the two governments to work together to prevent conflicts. We do not want to see bloodshed in either the cattle-keeping communities or the farming communities,” said Moses.
Gabriel Malual, the Minister of Peacebuilding in Jonglei state, stated that cattle migration from Jonglei is a result of the 2013 conflict, cattle rustling, and the devastating flooding across the state.
“One of the reasons that led to the movement of cattle from Jonglei state to Central Equatoria state, or to the Equatoria region, is the political instability that occurred in 2014. As we all know, during the war, people left their homes,” said Malual.
Augustino Jadala Kamilo Wani, the governor of Central Equatoria state, noted that while cattle remain a source of wealth, they continue to be a source of instability and insecurity in Central Equatoria state.
Wani also mentioned that the significant influx of cattle migration has brought tension and violence between cattle herders and farmers across the Equatoria region, particularly in Central Equatoria state.
“The issue of cattle continues to present formidable challenges obstructing the green belt region’s journey toward stability and economic development while exerting a heavy toll on lives and property in Central Equatoria state,” said Wani.
